CHICD: Emily Blue, Fay Ray, and Pressure Fit at The Tonic Room - 5/24

My goal is to see one show per week. Yes, I might be that annoying friend that just has to tell you about the thing you missed, but I’m also catching every great show in the city of Chicago–with plenty more ahead of me. Welcome to the Chicago Concert Dispatch.

At the time of this show, it is 21 weeks into the year and I have seen 33 shows.

Emily Blue started off the night with bouncy dance pop. She uses her voice to paint lyrical imagery, but also uses it as a percussion instrument. This is further enhanced by her judicious use of old school style backup singers. She clearly wants you to have as much fun as she is having, and I love that about her live performances. The last grouping of songs was pretty brilliant, starting with two of my favorites, “Blackberries” and “Cellophane”.

<a href="http://emilyblue.bandcamp.com/album/blackberries-rico-acid">Blackberries // Rico Acid by Emily Blue</a>

They were followed by “Falling in Love”, a new and awesome track (I can’t wait for its official release, so I can play on repeat!), and “Waterfall”. “Waterfall” initially seemed like a strange turn to take, but it really picks up and shows off her vocal range and style.

The eight person band Fay Ray takes up the entire length of the Tonic Room stage. With all those instruments, you’d think the sound would be overwhelming, but they show great restraint and craftsmanship in how they layer and use each musician. It is both smooth and chill, yet has great forward momentum. This is great music to groove to. Their special brand of pop jazz was the perfect bridge between opener and closer.

Pressure Fit started and ended their set with a literal blast of sound. I was in the back of the bar talking to a couple people and about jumped out of my skin when that first cacophony resounded through the space. That set the tone for jazz that’ll keep you on your toes! With more than a hint of that New Orleans sound, the driving dance beat fit in really well with the first two bands.

For me, this kind of music is best enjoyed live and up close, so standing right in front of Reggie Chapman as he played the bass trombone was pretty ideal. At the end of one particularly amazing solo, the guy next to me said, “I feel like we just got blasted by trombone!”